The Singles Bar: Flo Rida, “Good Feeling”

Is there anybody in the vague triangle formed by pop, R&B and hip hop more of a punchline than Flo Rida? You’ll rarely find anybody who admits to being a fan of him, and even if someone likes his songs, they’ll usually talk about the beat or other un-Flo aspects. But it’s equally rare to find people ardently against him, and people must be listening somewhat approvingly. Why else is he still around?

By “around,” of course, we mean “around and still making albums.” The latest is the upcoming Only 1 Rida Part 2–yes, part 2–and the lead track, “Good Feeling,” is out. Listen below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5054IrGyS8

“Good Feeling” might be the most listenable Flo Rida track ever, for–see?–reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with Flo. Dance fans or intrepid Googlers already know why. DJ Avicii, last in the headlines for possibly-maybe being ripped off by Leona Lewis, airlifts the bulk of “Good Feeling” right in, vocals and all, from his own single “Levels.” It’s pretty damn Guetta, but pretty damn good.

Then comes Flo Rida. The most that can charitably be said about Flo is that he stays out of the way. Supposedly this is his big lyrical moment; rhyming “gossip” with “gossip” and calling himself a needle in a haystack suggests this is the moment several moments before the real one. There’s not much of him, anyway; “Levels” makes up a good 40% of the song, and only dance geeks could tell you to what extent the track was changed. Anonymity suits Flo well; if only he could be nameless but not quite so easily replaced.